1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to display lighting for use in connection with illuminating ornamentatal displays. The ornamentation spotlight has particular utility in connection with illuminating flags and other patriotic displays for nighttime presentation.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The desire by Americans to fly the U.S. flag has increased considerably since 9/11. Many people would like to display the flag at night rather than having to take it down. It is appropriate to display the American flag at night as long as it is properly lighted. This brings about an increasing need for an improved spotlight for illuminating the flag and other ornamentation displays.
The use of lighting apparatus for the illumination of flags is known in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,752,975 to Meyer discloses a flagpole light that is mounted on top of the pole and has a reflector that directs the light downward in a circular pattern around the flag. However, the Meyer ""975 patent does not produce a focused spotlight directed specifically on the flag, but rather illuminates a circular volume around the pole from above, and as disclosed has further drawback of requiring electrical power be wired from a 110-volt source of a house.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,227,683 to Tukia discloses a flagpole light that is also mounted on top of the flagpole and reflects light down on to the flag from above. However, the Tukia ""683 patent does not produce a focused spotlight directed specifically on the flag, but rather illuminates a circular volume around the pole from above.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,988,100 to Schmitt discloses an apparatus for supporting and illuminating display flags. However, the Schmitt ""100 patent discloses an internally lighted flag mast that reflects light out towards the flag and does not produce a focused spotlight directed specifically on the flag from down below the flag.
Lastly, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,564,816 to Arcadia et al., D376,122 to Stine et al., and 3,923,001 to Murdock disclose apparatus that may be of general interest and pertinent to the construction and design of the present invention. The Arcadia ""816 patent discloses an illuminated memorial ornament (cross) that is made from hollow tubes with lighting mounted inside the tubes and shinning out through holes in the tubes. The Stine ""122 patent discloses the design of a solid flag display with lights built into the display. Finally, the Murdock ""001 patent discloses a flagpole that automatically lowers the flag at night. However, none of these patents disclose an external spotlight that produces a focused spot of light directed specifically on to the flag being displayed.
While the above-described devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not describe a flag illumination system that produces a focused spot of light on to the displayed flag or other display ornament.
Therefore, a need exists for a new and improved ornamentation spotlight that can be used to brilliantly illuminate a flag or other ornamental display. In this regard, the present invention substantially fulfills this need. In this respect, the ornamentation spotlight according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in doing so provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of illuminating flags and other ornamental displays.
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of flag illumination apparatus now present in the prior art, the present invention provides an improved ornamentation spotlight, and overcomes the above-mentioned disadvantages and drawbacks of the prior art. As such, the general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new and improved ornamentation spotlight and illumination system, which has all the advantages of the prior art mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in an ornamentation spotlight and illumination system which are not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by the prior art, either alone or in any combination thereof.
To attain this, the present invention for an ornamental spotlight essentially comprises a cylindrical protective housing with a light source assembly mounted at one end and a removable cap, for inserting rechargeable batteries in the hollow cylinder, located at the other end. The light source has a lamp, which can be incandescent, Xenon, metal halide, or other conventionally used lamp, a reflector for collecting and reflecting a maximum amount light from the lamp, and a projection type lens for projecting a spot of light on the display. Either dc or ac powered lamps can be used in the spotlight. The lens can have zoom capability for adjusting the size of the spot on to the display.
Batteries are used to directly supply power to dc type lamps or to a power inverter, which then supplies power in the case of ac type lamps. Photovoltaic solar cells are used to fully charge the batteries during daytime. The batteries then supply power to the light at night. Optionally, the spotlight can be wired to a 110-volt power line with rectifiers and/or power inverters used to supply appropriate power to the lamp. A photodetector switch or timer circuit is wired into the power line to automatically turn the spotlight on at night and off in the daytime.
The cylindrical housing mounts to a rotational base plate that is attached to a swivel-mounting base used for attaching the spotlight to a house, building, or other structure. The mounting apparatus allows the spot light to be rotated through 360-degrees in latitude and at least 90-degrees in elevation.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated.
There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims attached.
Numerous objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon a reading of the following detailed description of presently preferred, but nonetheless illustrative, embodiments of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In this respect, before explaining the current embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of descriptions and should not be regarded as limiting.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
It is therefore an object of the present invention is to provide a new ornamentation spotlight that provides in the apparatuses and methods of the prior art some of the advantages thereof, while simultaneously overcoming some of the disadvantages normally associated therewith.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved ornamentation spotlight that may be easily and efficiently manufactured and marketed.
An even further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved ornamentation spotlight that has a low cost of manufacture with regard to both materials and labor, and which accordingly is then susceptible of low prices of sale to the consuming public, thereby making such equipment economically available to the buying public.
These together with other objects of the invention, along with the various features of novelty that characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there is illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention.